Nearly 3,000 cases seek trials in first 100 days of Guangzhou internet court

An online trial takes place in the Guangzhou Court of the Internet on Tuesday. [Photo by Zheng Caixiong]

The Guangzhou Court of the Internet has received a total of 2,903 applications for trials, involving more than 120 million yuan ($17.65 million), in its first 100 days of operation.

"Of them, 951 cases have been tried, with verdicts being passed, so far," said Zhang Chunhe, president of the Guangzhou Court of the Internet.

"Most of the cases have involved the infringement of copyrights, financial loans, online shopping and online services," added Zhang.

The court has played a role in ensuring the healthy development of the internet and helped further improve the investment climate in Guangzhou, home to Tencent, JD, Netease and related giant internet companies, Zhang said.

"The building of the internet courts is key to pushing forward the integration of modern technology and judicial trials," he added.

Established on Sept 28, the Guangzhou Court of the Internet is one of the three internet courts that have begun operations in the mainland. The other two lie in Hangzhou, capital of East China's Zhejiang province, and Beijing.

The internet courts that open hearings online require judges, plaintiffs and defendants to connect to each other by video during court sessions.

Meanwhile, both plaintiffs and defendants are required to complete relevant procedures online before their trials open, while electronic verdicts are delivered to plaintiffs and defendants via the internet.